CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas — Following last week's historic shift in Texas politics, which saw Democrats win seats held by Republicans for decades, Nueces County residents of different generations are sharing their reactions to the results and what they hope comes next.
KRIS 6 News visited the Greenwood Senior Center and Texas A&M University-Corpus Christi on Friday to hear from neighbors about the issues that mattered most to them during the election.
"So, so happy and so, so proud that our people had come out to vote," Nueces County resident Alma Garcia said.
No matter their age or political views, the residents interviewed shared their hopes for change.
"I'm not a big fan of calling it a red wave or a blue wave or anything like that. I prefer if Texas were more of a competitive state in elections because that encourages politicians," Nueces County resident Everett Vernon said.
Other residents, including Inez Garcia, expressed excitement about the results.
"Thrill. I mean...we finally came through and did what we were supposed to do," Garcia said.
Allison Salinas also described how she and her family reacted as the results came in.
"How excited my family and I were, we were jumping up and down, and we could not believe how fast they called it," Salinas said.
Beyond their reactions, residents shared what mattered most to them during this election.
"For me, immigration, because it was just the injustices that happened and are happening. It's just we gotta stop that. And of course the economy and gas," Alma Garcia said.
For Salinas, the election was also personal, especially as a college student commuting from Bishop.
"I cared about women's rights, taking gas prices down and affordability because as a, as a student I travel from Bishop every day 45 minutes. It's really expensive," Salinas said.
For Vernon, the biggest concerns heading into the election were the cost of living, rising prices for everyday necessities like groceries and gas, and education.
For Inez Garcia, the three issues that mattered most were immigration, the economy and the war. Those concerns also shaped what she hopes elected leaders will address moving forward.
A shift in Nueces County voting
In the previous elections for governor in 2022 and U.S. Senate in 2020, Nueces County voters sided with Republicans.
But in this year's election, voters in the county backed Democrats Gina Hinojosa for governor and James Talarico for U.S. Senate.
To put that into perspective, Texas had not elected a Democratic governor since 1990 or a Democrat to the U.S. Senate since 1988.
Not everyone shared the same reaction
KRIS 6 News also tried to speak with residents who held different political
views at the Greenwood Senior Center and Texas A&M University-Corpus Christi but was unable to find anyone who identified as more right-leaning.
However, when election results were shared on the KRIS 6 News Facebook page, some commenters expressed dissatisfaction with the outcome.
Vernon, one of the university students interviewed, said the election was not necessarily about picking sides but about making sure people exercise their right to vote.
"What we've proved this election and hopefully going forward, go vote. It matters no matter where you live. If you live in a deep blue state or you live in a competitive state or you even live in a deep red state, your vote can still matter, and it can make changes," Vernon said.
For Inez Garcia, what matters most is what the election could mean for future generations.
"I want our future to be like when we were young. You know, it was happy. I want that for my grandkids, for my kids, for all the children," Garcia said.
While the neighbors interviewed Friday shared mostly positive reactions to the election results, they also had a clear message for those elected: follow through on your promises and do right by the people.
